Daily Yellowstone journal., 1887-03-22
THE ALPS In WINTER.
An EhGlisHMAN CROSSING BY THE
ALBUlA rASS IN A STORM.
A Undertaking That Called for All the
ehiil Of AN Experienced Guide-fall
Over = Precipioe-An Almost Miracu-
lsus Escape.

ssus Escape.
was Informed that in some parts Of the
pnns there were masses OF snow fourteen
and sixteen feet deep, and il would be all
but impossible 20 get through them. As
] persisted in my determination, however,
ut length succeeded in obtaining the serv-
foes of a sturdy peasant who knew every
inch of the route, and who was tempted by
the liberal fee l offered him. We left
Bergun soon after IL with a well stocked
knnpsack Of provisions, including a bottle
Of old brandy. An hour later the sky had
elouded over, the sun had quite disap-
peared and little wreaths of powdery
snow filed the air.
As we approached the majestic and ter
rife Teufelsthal the snow thickened and
fell In large, compact fakes, while the
gust Of deadly wind came up with a roar
from the awful ravine where the Albula
thunders in its rocky bed 800 feet below
the roadway. The whole landscape was
obliterated, and il was impossible TO see
half a dozen yards ahead. The road itself
Was entirely lost, but the guide, with I'M
erring instinct, traced the way, cleverly
avoiding the precipices and the drifts,
though now and again we found ourselves
struggling up to the waist in soft accu-
mutations on the road itself. By the time
We had painfully toiled up 10 the well
known stone bridge which spans the awful
ravine, the wind was blowing q gale,
while the snow was binding. We came
within IN ace of plunging down into the
rocky chasm; for the snow was level
with the parapet Of the bridge, over
which it curled In . great cornice.
= A PERILoUs UNDERTAKING.
Here, for the first time perhaps, we
fully realized the hazardous nature Of the
undertaking. But to turn back was out
Of the question, as that would have been
even worse than going on. From the
bridge the road is carried over the face Of
. stupendons precipice, and thence de-
bouches on TO an extensive plain. Before
opening upon the plain the defile is ex-
ceedingly narrow, and through this the
wind swept with such terrific force, and
was so charged with compact snow, that
six different times were we driven back
into the shelter Of the projecting rocks
that broke the force 4 the cruel blasts.
At length, taking adj santage Of a lull, we
forced the passage and gained the open.
ohAt thaN htit u hAo " tdi
The icy wind seemed 70 blow clean through
one, and it stung the exposed parts of the
face like whip corls. All around appeared
20 be q solid wall Of snow. The flakes
were as large a. five shilling pieces, and
almost blinded one. Conversation was out
81 the question, for 1t was was impossible
70 hear each other, while the exertion re-
quired to make progress at all was ex-
ceedingly exhausting.
No one who hadn't been born among
these mountains and who had not spent a
lifetime in such desolate regions could
possibly have found his way and must in
suitably have persisted. But my guide,
with one OF W exceptions, never once
seemed 10 90 astray. For myself. | fol-
lowed in his tracks mechanically. | was
numbed and drowsy, and he had the APP
pearance to mt Of a white specter only
dimly seen. Although by the hour there
should have been plenty Of daylight, the
air was darkened by a thick snow. and 7
began TO very seriously doubt whether IL
was at all possible IA reach our destina-
zion. The guide had similar thoughts. foI
soon after he stopped and shouted in my
ear that there was a shepherds hut some
where about there, and il would he as
well 10 try and find il and shelter in il for
The night. / readily acquiesc,d in this
proposal. and we turned of at an angle
and forged ahead for about n quarter Of
m hour. when. with startling suddenness,
the guide disuppeared-where / knew not.
j only knew that he had gone out Of my
vision. and ! was left alone in that CHASTITY
region 81 death. with the appalling roar
of the wind and the river laundering in
my ears.
OvER 4 PRECIPICE.
I stood for u moment and shouted, but
my voice wnS drowned by the wind. and |
scarcely heard il myself. determined to
try and discover what had become of my
companion. and render him assistance. il
needed. And ~. like a blind man CROP
fng along. ! advanced cautiously. probing
the snow with my alpenstock. bat sudden
~ my feet seemed To 20 from under me
and ] felt myself falling through the air.
The next thing that was conscious Of
was that I was buried ia the snow and
was stdTpcating. I raised my hands with
some difficulty aud cleared the snow from
my mouth and WIS then able To breathe.
tn next mumcut | heard a voice very close
90 me. aud never in all my life have ! heard
anytiiIg that sounded ~ welcome a. did
that human voice In that awful moment
Of deadly peril. | managed Ia turn rOund
and saw abnut n yard away the head and
shoulders ~ my companion The situation
was clear Oly: We had plunged over a
precip,cp ahuut ten feet and fallen INTO Il
soft snow drift I'VE must get ont Of
this Immediately, he said calmly, FOR
we're dead men, He had retained pos
session ~ his alpenstock, aud he gave me
one end 1T H.. aud 10y this means. hut only
with great difficulty, he was enabled 10
extricatc himself. We fortified ourselves
with a strong dose Of brandy. and he then
pulled me out and we scrambled by the
aid ~ some bushes 10 the road again.
The cold was increasing, night was ON
ing on. and the snow WAS th%ickening. We
were alone in that stern wilderness. and
at any moment we might topple over some
precipice, or, failing that, sink from ex-
haustion in the snow and be frozen to
death. II we could only have got shelter
from the deadly wind, things would not
have been 50 bad. For, apart from the
distressing sense OF numbness II produced,
&c swirled the snow around ms and made
breathing most difficult. One had 10 take
I'm the air In gasps, as IL were, and at In
tervals, when the force OF the blasts less
ened. For WI and a half weary hours we
struggled on. IL was a sheer struggle OF
physical strength against the forces OF
nature, and the slightest failure Of that
strength would have sealed our doom. At
length, with startling suddenness, my
companion uttered a joyful zodel. His
quick eyes had seen what mine had not
namely, q friendly CLEAN Of light stream
fng from one OF the little windows Of the
lonely hospice on the summit. The people
-. L...I aha al..,.s ..l -.